Spring 2019, Volume 46
Features
Is Emptiness the Goal?
Emptiness (shunyata) is a key concept in Buddhism. It is commonly associated with the Prajnaparamita sutras, and often understood to mean “nothing possesses a fixed, inherent nature because all things arise through causation and exist interdependently.” The realization of emptiness thus allows people to free themselves from attachments to things and events and attain spiritual tranquility.
Emptiness is also mentioned in several chapters of the Lotus Sutra, where it is described as a condition that allows people to enter the bodhisattva path of the One Vehicle.
The Buddhist concept of emptiness is even compared to some Christian notions of God (John Cobb, Jr.) and with the concept of kenosis, or Christ’s emptying of his personal will to become receptive to the will of God (Thomas Merton).
Although emptiness is an important concept, its meaning is multifarious and a clear understanding of it is not easy to achieve. It is open to multiple interpretations and often misunderstood to mean that everything is unreal, thus conjuring a sense of nothingness or hopelessness. However, many Buddhists understand the realization of emptiness to be the ultimate spiritual awakening―the goal of their Buddhist practice.
Emptiness is essential to both doctrine and practice. It is also a popular topic of meditation, especially in America. In the next issue, Dharma World will explore the concept and practice of emptiness: How it is understood and practiced by modern Buddhists, especially in the West; how it is employed in interreligious dialogue; what significance it has in the Lotus Sutra; and how it can be applied as a means to deal with conflicts in the world today.
Is Emptiness the Ultimate Goal of Buddhists?
by Koichi Kawamoto
This phenomenal world emerges out of a deluded mind. . . . When [it] is returned to emptiness, then a new world will be opened up.
Beyond Emptiness
by Brook Ziporyn
One Buddhist school, the Tiantai . . . , actually sees [the] Emptiness teaching as a mere preparation for a further teaching, which it considers the ultimate teaching of Buddhism. It calls this next step the idea of the Middle Way, or the Center.
Emptiness in Three Dimensions for the Fourth Time
by Douglas Duckworth
While realizing emptiness is necessary, it is not necessarily sufficient for actualizing the complete Buddhist path, so understanding emptiness alone is by no means the final realization of Buddhism.
The Other Side of Emptiness
by Ruben L. F. Habito
Realizing emptiness, one’s life is no longer lived as centered on the egoic self that perceives everything else as “objects” before it. . . . In this liberated and decentered state of mind, one is able to freely behold the world as Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, seeing and hearing the cries of sentient beings caught in the web of dissatisfaction and suffering.
Emptiness, Buddhist and Christian
by Leo D. Lefebure
Teachings on emptiness call attention to the transitory nature of all experiences in this world and challenge grasping and greed as ultimately futile. Buddhist perspectives on emptiness invite practitioners to wisdom and compassion, while Christian viewpoints call practitioners to follow the path of Jesus Christ in lives of service to others.
Seminar Report
“Found in Translation”: Transpositions of the Lotus Sutra A Report on the International Lotus Sutra Seminar
by Yue Eric Tojimbara
This is a report on the International Lotus Sutra Seminar held June 13–16, 2018, at Rissho Kosei-kai’s headquarters in Tokyo.
Essay
Business and Religion: A Historical Look at John Wanamaker and the American Department Store
by Nicole C. Kirk
Business owners are . . . using their companies to express their values. In recent years, new corporations have emerged that seek to balance profit and purpose. These businesses claim to reduce the price of common goods and to provide a positive benefit to society, the environment, and their employees.
Interview
Diversity Is Always Part of Reality
An Interview with Rev. Fadi Daou and Dr. Nayla Tabbara of the Adyan Foundation
The Niwano Peace Foundation awarded the thirty-fifth Niwano Peace Prize on May 9, 2018, to the Adyan Foundation of Lebanon in recognition of its continued service to global peace building, especially its programs for children and educators offering guidance for peace and reconciliation. Dr. Hiroshi M. Niwano, chair of the Niwano Peace Foundation, interviewed Rev. Fadi Daou, the chair and CEO of the Adyan Foundation, and Dr. Nayla Tabbara, vice-chair of the foundation, after the award ceremony at the International House of Japan in Tokyo.
Essay
From Scripture to Social Action: Translating the Lotus Sutra
by Bee Scherer
As one of the most influential Mahāyāna Buddhist scriptures, it is reasonable to expect that the Lotus Sutra has spawned a wealth of applications to social action. However, any such application is far from straightforward.
Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhism
Buddha-Nature (2): We Are Children of the Buddha
by Dominick Scarangello
Today some people may not be entirely comfortable with the gendered language of the Lotus Sutra’s allegory, but a close reading of the text can open pathways to an understanding appropriate to contemporary society and twenty-first century social norms
